Life Saving
by SpecialAgentAMB
Summary: After the death of a girl seemingly unrelated to even NCIS, Tony's past comes back to haunt him. What secrets has he been hiding from the team? Contains an original character, lots of friendship/family, and even a bit of Tiva and McAbby if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This is my first NCIS story, and I'm so excited! It's not completely written yet, but I'm working on it every day! Warning, this does introduce an original character, so if you're looking for a story that just has the actual characters, I'm sorry to say this isn't for you, but you should keep reading anyway! The story will contain slight Tiva and McAbby (I'm a huge fan of both by the way), but most likely not more than the show has. _

_Disclaimer: Alas, I would love to own NCIS. Imagine hanging out with the cast all day? I would die… of happiness of course. I might get too excited and my heart would just fail of course. But anyway, I don't own them. Nor am I profiting from this story in anyway. The original character introduced is mine, and if you would like to use her in a story of yours, please ask me. I passed kindergarten, so I do know how to share._

~*~

"_Belladona,_ of course I miss you!"

Ziva and McGee looked up as Tony walked through the elevator; his cell phone in one hand and a coffee cup in the other. He shot them his dazzling Tony smile as he walked to his desk and sat down.

"Yes, I will come visit you this weekend! Of course. All right, I'm at work now, but I will see you Saturday. Ti amo, anche. Arrivederci." With that, he snapped his phone shut and looked up to see Ziva glaring at him. He shot her another smile while McGee looked at the two of them amused.

"So who was that?" Ziva asked while standing up. "One of your lady friends?"

Tony looked suspiciously as she walked slowly towards her. "Perhaps. What's it to you?"

Ziva stopped in front of his desk and smiled sweetly at him. Then, with her quick reflexes, she grabbed his phone before he even had a chance to move his hand. He growled as she went through his call log.

"Nonna? Your grandmother, Tony?" Ziva asked, smiling coyly at him. McGee snorted into his coffee and Tony sent him a death glare.

"Shut it, McPig," Tony looked back at Ziva. "Yes, my nonna. What? You have a problem with me talking to my grandmother, Zee-vah?" Ziva turned her back to him and let out a few, compressed laughs while walking back to her desk. Tony continued to glare at her back while she took her seat.

"Grab your gear," Gibbs said, marching through the bullpen. "We have an unusual case."

"Unusual, boss?" McGee asked.

"We're not sure if it's completely our jurisdiction. Local police found a girl, who has nothing to do with the Navy, murdered in her college dorm. Around her neck was a sign that said, "Wrong One." Her name was Gianna Conte. Abby looked up other similarities to the name, and the closest one was…"

"Gianina Conti?" Tony asked. His face paled dramatically and stared at Gibbs with such an intense gaze that no one in the bullpen had seen him use before.

Gibbs stared back at him curiously. "Do you know her, DiNozzo?"

"Father was Chief Petty Officer Antonio Conti, mother was Special Agent Dalya Stein-Conti, a former NCIS Agent. She just turned 22 last month." Tony's face fell even more. "Yeah Gibbs. I know her." Gibbs and the rest of the team continued to stare at him strangely. Tony sighed and continued. "Old family friends. My dad and Antonio… Chief Petty Officer Conti, were old high school friends. I had dinner with them ever Sunday for 18 years. Hell, I'm named after Antonio."

"Are you or have you been in any contact with Gianina recently?" Gibbs asked.

Tony shook his head. "Not in years. I… sorta left my family and her family once I got to college. I couldn't even make it to her parents' funeral."

"Her parents are dead?" Ziva asked, looking at Gibbs, confused.

"Murdered, seven years ago," Gibbs replied, still looking at Tony.

"They still haven't caught the bastards," Tony added.

"Is there any connection between their murders and the murder on this girl?" McGee asked.

Gibbs turned his head and looked at McGee, dumbfounded. "I don't know McGee," he said, sarcastically.

"That's what you want me to find out. On it, Boss!" McGee said, returning to his desk.

"Not yet! McGee, David, you're with me. We're going to the crime scene to see if the police missed anything. DiNozzo," Gibbs said, tossing an envelope at him. "Go pick up Gianina. She's at Columbia University now, in New York. This'll tell you how to find her."

Tony looked down at the envelope and opened it as Gibbs and the team walked away. He sighed as he pulled out all the paperwork on her. A tiny picture fell out and landed on the ground. As he bent over and picked it up, he realized that this girl… no, _woman_… was not the little preteen he left behind.

Gianina was stunning in the picture. She had inherited most of her father's Italian looks, with her olive skin and dark, curly brown hair. She must have been at a party of some sort with friends, who were cropped out of the picture, for she was wearing a rusty orange color dressed that would've looked hideous if she had lighter skin, but it brought out the bronze in her skin. Her teeth were now straight, thanks to the awkward braces she had when he left for college, and beautifully white. She had very little make-up on, and Tony doubted if she needed any. She had always been a cute little girl, but she had turned out to be a gorgeous young woman now.

He sighed as he put the picture down and looked at her current address. Columbia University, all the way up in New York. She had never been the academic type, always putting of her homework in favor of dancing. He guessed she must have changed a lot since he left…

He felt a pang of guilt through his chest. Once he left home, he really left for good, choosing to spend holidays and vacations at one of his buddy's house instead of returning home. He had never had a good family life and never really wanted to go home. He couldn't even put his pride and pain aside to go home and go to the funeral of two people that he once called second parents. Hell, they were more of parents to him then his own sometimes…

This was not going to be pleasant. He thought of Gianina once in a while. She had been the little sister he had always wanted, and he just gave up on her. He knew she had looked to him as an older brother once upon a time, and he disregarded her as soon as he left home. Tony had considered contacting her a few times over the years, but it had been too long… and he had missed her parents' funeral, a time where she probably needed him most. Now their meeting was inevitable. He had to go see her. Not just see her, but bring her back to NCIS, where he would probably spend time with her. He wanted to see her again, but other different circumstances.

Tony sighed again and found his car keys. This trip to New York was going to be long, but not long enough.


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Thank you for all the lovely reviews! I'm really enjoying writing this, so I hope everyone else is :)_

_Disclaimer: Again, me no owny NCIS :( Nor am I making any money off of this (I wish...)_

_~*~_

_Tony sighed again and found his car keys. This trip to New York was going to be long, but not long enough._

Gia Conti was putting the finishing touches on her make up. She stepped away from the mirror and sighed. Her friend Anne had picked up this ridiculous outfit for her and expected her to wear it. "It's not that hideous," She thought to herself. The dark gold, sequined shirt fitted her quite well, even bringing out some non-existent cleavage. Her mass of curly chocolate hair was pulled into an up-do that still allowed some curls to dance around her face.

Her friends were taking her out for a congratulatory party. They were going to her favorite restaurant, then to a popular club that many of the college students attended. She had just received an award and prize money for her findings in biological forensics. Even though her friends understood nothing of the complex science, they knew well enough that her findings were big, and that she deserved much more than just simple congratulations.

Gia hated parties though, and her friends knew that. She would much rather be cramped in the library studying and researching, or even just curl up with a good mystery book. Once in a while, when she was in a social mood, she liked to have a quiet, "girls night" party, where she and her friends would rent a chick flick, order pizza with weird toppings, and talk all night. She preferred jeans to dresses any day, and comfortable work boots to stilettos. It was a wonder how she had as many friends as she did. Still, her friends wanted to make her feel special and celebrate with her, so she would put up with the club just long enough to pretend that she was having fun, just so her friends would be happy.

There was a knock at her door. Confused, she glanced at her clock, reading that it was only 7:30. "Guys, I thought you weren't picking me up until eight…" She called as she crossed her room to open the door. However, it was not her friends standing outside her door.

The man that stood in front of her was familiar; she felt like she knew him, but she couldn't put her finger on it. He certainly looked at her as if he knew her well, and that made her uncomfortable.

"Can I help you?" She asked, trying to be polite. She glanced behind the now open door, making sure she knew where her umbrella was in case she needed something to hit him with. Of course, the heels she was wearing could probably puncture him as well as a bullet.

"What, Gigi, don't tell me you don't remember me?" The man said, and shot her a brilliant smile.

Her breath hitched. Only one person could ever call her Gigi and get away with it. And only one person could possibly have that dazzling as a smile.

"T-T-Tony?" She stuttered.

"The one and only," He pretended to bow.

"What are you doing here? Why are you here?"

His smile dropped, and he suddenly got a very serious look on his face, the one that was once reserved for when he talked about his parents. "I've come here to get you. I'm taking you back to NCIS headquarters." He said, sullenly.

She stared at him confused. "NCIS? What are you talking about?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID. He flipped it open, and her stomach dropped. So he was no longer with Baltimore PD. "I'm an Agent at NCIS now, like your mom. I can't talk too much here, but you need to come with me, and now. I'll explain in the car. Just, grab your coat, let's go." He turned to start walking down the hall, but Gia stopped him.

"Wait, you disappear from my life completely for 14 years, you randomly show up at my door step, and now you expect me to just come with you all the way down to Washington?" She asked him incredulously. He turned back at her and sighed. "No way, I have plans with my friends tonight. They're taking me out because… well I don't have time to explain it now. They're coming soon and I need to finish getting ready. If you want to be back in my life, call ahead." She turned to close the door on him, but he caught it easily.

"Gia, I didn't randomly show up here. You need to come with me!" She just continued to look at him, trying not to cry. She spent too long on her make-up and she didn't want her friends to know she was upset. Really, this was her night and he was ruining it. He sighed again. "Look, Gigi, I know I've been an ass. And I'm sorry, and I hope you'll give me a chance to explain myself, but not now. Right now, you're life might be in danger and I'm here to keep you safe."

Her stomach dropped yet again. "My life… in danger?" Her voice cracked. Impossible. No, that couldn't be.

"There was another girl that was… killed. Her name was Giana Conte. She was 21 and looked a hell of a lot like you. Around her neck was a note that said 'Wrong One.' There was the same partial print that this crime scene that was at your parents house." He explained.

She felt dizzy and lightheaded. Her hands began to shake. "Why is someone after me now?" Even her voice was shaky.

"I don't know, Gi. I really don't. All I know is that I have orders to bring you back to NCIS and to keep you safe. Please," He pleaded, and the look in his eyes made her shutter. He was completely sincere. "I have a lot to make up for the past decade and a half. I can't do that if you're not safe. Grab you're coat, let's go."

Gia grabbed her coat and purse, although the latter would hardly do anything for her. The only thing inside was her drivers license, phone, lipstick, and some money. She completely forgot that she was dressed to party, not to go to NCIS headquarters.

Tony reached out to her, seemingly to pull her into an embrace, but thought better of it and just grabbed her shoulder instead. "I'll keep you safe. Don't worry, nothing's gonna get you."


	3. Chapter 3

_Tony reached out to her, seemingly to pull her into an embrace, but thought better of it and just grabbed her shoulder instead. "I'll keep you safe. Don't worry, nothing's gonna get you."_

The car ride down to Washington was silent and awkward. At one point, Gia nodded off with her head against the cool window, and Tony allowed his memories to take over his conscious. Once upon a time, he loved this girl as much as any brother could love his sister. But the family love he had for her wasn't enough to battle the hatred he felt towards his father and his life at home. He sighed as he drove… _Things could've turned out much differently if I wasn't such an ass_, he thought.

He looked over at her sleeping figure. Her torso was twisted away from him and her forehead was against the rain-splattered window. Her left arm was draped across her stomach with the seatbelt hooked in the seatbelt, pulling it down so it wouldn't aggravate her neck. How many times had he driven her around? How many times had she fallen asleep on him? How many times had he been her rock? Each of them, countless.

Tony continued to think as the rain began to fall heavier. Sure, he had always been there when she needed him, but unknowingly, she had helped him more than she could ever imagine. She had provided him the love that his parents were never able to give him. She always brought a smile to his face, no matter if she herself was smiling.

_She must have changed a lot if she got into Columbia…_ he continued to think. He wondered if she still danced. She always was an amazing dancer, being very advanced at her young age. He chuckled to himself, remembering how mesmerized he was watching her dance at stage, thinking how ironic it was that the same, phenomenal dancer he saw on stage could hardly walk over flat surfaces without tripping over an invisible pebble.

His thoughts and memories continued to fill his mind while she slept on for the next few hours, until they pulled into the parking lot of NCIS. By this time, it was a little after midnight. He parked the car and turned it off, and gently turned to her and shook her shoulder.

"Gia, we're here. Welcome back to NCIS." He said. As soon as the words left his mouth, he wished he hadn't said anything at all and mentally kicked himself.

The last time she had been at NCIS was about a week before her parents murders. Her mother Dalya had brought her into work one day just to visit. Tony didn't know much about it, but reminding her of her mother's former work place was probably not a good idea.

But Gia didn't say anything. She looked ahead at the building, sighed, and nodded. She opened the car door and stepped out before Tony could say anything else. He got out, locked his car, and the pair of them walked silently into NCIS headquarters.

~*~

"I don't understand why we're staying this late," Ziva complained quietly to herself.

"Once Tony gets back with the girl, we're all staying. I'm not letting this girl out of my sight until we catch the bastards that killed her parents and are now after her," Gibbs explained roughly.

From what they'd pieced together from the two murders, there was definitely suspected terrorism going on. Prior to his murder, Chief Petty Officer Conti had been part of a secret program that was enabling him and his higher ranking officials to catch suspected terrorists and traitors from joining the Navy. Whoever killed him and his wife were most likely trying to stop this from happening.

The murders of the Conti's and the murder of the college girl, however, were not similar at all. The Conti's had their throats slit, which caused a huge mess around the family's home. It also caused them a lot of suffering for the few hours they were left to die. The girl, however, was shot point-blank to the head. A quick and painless death, Ducky had called it. It appeared the girl had been sleeping and probably never even awoke as she was killed.

The only similarity between the two murders was the same, identical partial finger print left at both scenes. Not a full print, hair follicle, or any piece of evidence was left at either scene to prove who committed these hateful acts. Of course, there was the obvious connection too. The Conti's were killed because of their involvement in stopping terrorism. Now they, whoever _they_ are, were after their daughter.

Gibbs looked down at his watch. Quarter after midnight. DiNozzo and the girl should be coming back soon. He hated waiting. Gibbs was a man of action, not patience. He much rather would be doing something productive instead of just sitting at his desk, waiting. He knew Ziva felt the same way. McGee, on the other hand, was very content at sitting at his computer, pulling up random files and learning all that he could on the two murders, attempting to draw more connections together.

He looked at his two agents and laughed silently to himself. He thought of one of Kelly's favorite movies, _The Wizard of Oz_. For some reason, he was able to apply the three friends to his agents. Ziva was certainly the courage of the group. Her bravery came from her Mossad training of course, but Gibbs could hardly see her as any other person even without her Mossad training. Gibbs' gut told him that she was most likely a tomboy at a very young age and would be extremely brave and strong anyway.

McGee was certainly the brains of the group. His intellect for computers was unmatched by anyone Gibbs knew, and probably anyone he'd ever meet, even Abby. Of course, he would never admit that in front of her, but that didn't change the facts. McGee was extremely smart and could comprehend the most complex technology, while Gibbs could hardly handle his cell phone.

So that left Tony as the heart of the group. Many people thought that Tony was a self centered, arrogant bastard. And those people would be right… sometimes. Most of the time, though, Tony was compassionate. His heart was into everything he did, especially when people he cared for were in the picture. Gibbs knew that Tony would do anything for anyone on the team, and probably most people he knew and cared about.

Gibbs stole a glance at Ziva. She was staring gloomily at Tony's empty desk, waiting for him to return. Of course, Gibbs knew who really held Tony's heart. His heart was damaged, though, and he put it behind all these walls to hide it away from pain. Once in a while, he would allow it to peek out and receive some off-color comments from Ziva, but he would always tuck it away again.

He sighed again, thinking of Ziva and Tony. Of course he knew something was going on between the two, even though he attempted to shove Rule 12 down their throats. But he couldn't do anything about that if the two of them didn't even realize their feelings for each other. He had a gut feeling that Ziva knew, but was in denial. From where she grew up and was trained, loving someone was a sign of weakness. You were supposed to find someone you were compatible with, someone that would take care of you and who you could take care of. Most of the time, it seemed that Tony and Ziva were the most incompatible people on the face of the earth, but Gibbs knew better. Every argument, every sexual joke, every longing or hating glance, that was just their way of saying, "I love you."

The elevator dinged, and the three agents looked up to see Tony and the young woman walk in, side by side, but not touching. Gibbs stood right away, McGee following his lead. Ziva, however, remained seated, looking at the girl as if taking her all in, making mental comparisons and judgments of her. She felt Gibbs staring at her and stood up along with him.

Gibbs stepped out from behind his desk and walked up to his agent and the girl. She looked down at her feet as though she was attempting to just wish herself away from here. He felt a rush of sympathy towards her. Her life had been all but taken away from her when her parents were killed, and from what he read of her know, she had built up a new life of her own. Now it seemed that it would be taken away from her…

Tony cleared his throat. "Gibbs, this is Gianina Conti. Gia, this is Special Agent Gibbs."

Gia looked up at him. Her eyes contained so many emotions, it was hard to tell which was the most predominant one. Gibbs saw confusion, pain, and strength. She must have really built herself up over the past few years. Maybe she and DiNozzo weren't so different after all.

"Hi Gia," He said slowly, and tried to put a comforting smile on his face. "Just call me Gibbs. This is McGee and Ziva. We're here to take care of you. Nothing's going to happen when we're around."

Gia let out a little snort and looked back down at her shoes. She was smiling at least now. "That's exactly what Tony said."

Gibbs looked at Tony, who was also looking away. He had a feeling the car ride did not go that great. "Tony's a smart guy, and he's right. You're going to be fine."


	4. Chapter 4

_Gibbs looked at Tony, who was also looking away. He had a feeling the car ride did not go that great. "Tony's a smart guy, and he's right. You're going to be fine."_

Gia leaned against the cool window as rain splattered against it, but she wasn't really looking at anything. She was attempting to comprehend everything that happened in the past few hours, but was failing. She didn't understand what was going on… first her parents were murdered, and now the same person was after her? What had she done? She knew nothing of what her father had done at work, so they couldn't be after information. Yet it was too much of a coincidence that someone would be after her because they didn't like the work she accomplished. Besides, she hadn't discovered anything extremely useful.

Tony came up and stood next to her, staring out the window with her. They stood in silence for a while. He wasn't sure if she had even noticed him; she hadn't acknowledged him in any way, consciously or subconsciously. He quietly cleared his throat and her head snapped sideways to look at her.

"I'm gonna head and get some coffee, do you want some?" Tony asked, trying to be polite.

"I don't drink coffee," She said quickly, looking back out the window. Tony flinched slightly, but Gia noticed this. Even though most of her thought he deserved every harsh comment she would say towards him, part of her still felt guilty for mistreating him, even if he had left her life. "I wouldn't say no to tea, though," She said quietly, not looking away from the window.

Tony nodded stiffly. He figured she'd be mad at him for a while, but this recognition of a favor was leading him towards forgiveness. He went to turn away, but turned to her to say one more thing before he left. "Gia, I know this isn't the time yet to really talk about… well, everything, but I want to let you know that I really am sorry for leaving you and not coming back. I know that you can't forgive me yet, and I'm not expecting you to. I lost a lot of trust with you, rightfully so, but I intend to gain all of it back, slowly but surely."

Gia turned to look at him, and nodded. She turned her back to lean against the window, looked to the floor, and said quietly, "It really came to a shock to me that you're working for NCIS. You never really seemed interested when my mom tried to talk to you about it."

Tony looked at her and shrugged. "I wasn't then. I was only interested in basketball and my dream to play in the NBA. That never worked out, and I ended up getting… bored, sorta, at Baltimore PD. I wanted a change of scenery, and NCIS was the best opportunity for me."

Gia nodded again. Tony felt incredibly awkward, but he felt like she wasn't done talking yet, and if standing here awkwardly was going to get him back in her good books, he'd stand for a while longer.

She cracked a smile and laughed silently to herself. "You know, right after my parents were killed, I wanted to join the Navy, like Dad," She said. Tony looked at her incredulously. Hadn't she always been afraid of boats? She looked at his face and her smile grew slightly. She still could read his mind, it seemed. "Yeah I know, me and boats don't particularly get along. I figured after… everything, that fear would seem less important to me. But that didn't work out."

She looked back down at her feet and her smile faded. Tony had the urge to just open his arms and hug her, but he couldn't find the strength in him to do that. "How much have you changed?" He asked, before he realized the words that came out of his mouth. She looked up at him, confused. "I mean, as far as I remember, you hated school and work, all you wanted to do was dance. Now you're at Columbia. You were terrified of boats, but you just told me you wanted to join the Navy."

She smiled again, only wryly this time. "I changed a lot, to put it simply. The day I saw the bloody bodies of my parents in our family room is the day the world I knew shattered. You don't remain an innocent, little kid after witnessing something like that."

Tony flinched again, feeling as though he was punched in the stomach. He couldn't even begin to imagine how traumatizing that must have been for anyone, let alone a kid. He nodded sullenly, looking pointedly away from her. She, on the other hand, looked right at him and continued to speak.

"After they were killed I moved up to New York City with my grandmother. I threw myself into studying and training. For a long time I wanted to join the Navy, but I couldn't get over my fear of boats. So I decided I wanted to become an NCIS Field Agent, like my mom. But I don't think I'd ever be able to fire a gun. Even if it was the bastard that killed my parents, I really don't think I'd be able to take a life. I don't have that will power.

"But that didn't stop me from pursuing justice. If I couldn't catch the bad guys on the field, I would do it in a lab. I have been studying every type of forensic study I can get my hands on. I've finished all the books in Columbia's library on forensics, firearms, biology, anything that would help me become the best damn forensic scientist on the planet, just so I could help catch the criminals," Her voice broke at this point, and Tony glanced up at her. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she was having difficulty trying to reel in her emotions. She looked down again as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Sorry, where's your bathroom?"

Tony looked away again so she wouldn't feel embarrassed. Tony jerked his head to tell her to follow him. She nodded and followed him silently. She rushed in and Tony leaned against the wall, sighing.

~*~

Gia splashed cold water on her face, smearing her make up in the process, but she didn't. She silently cursed herself as she wiped paper towels over her eyes, attempting to get all the black smear off of her face. She looked up and stared at her reflection.

Her nose was red and her eyes were puffy and black from the make up that refused to part with her face. She was still wearing her party outfit, and her cheeks flushed red at how much she was exposing herself. To many other girls, this might be a normal amount of skin to show, but she had always preferred to cover herself up. She sighed again… she wanted to come back to NCIS eventually, but she had hoped to be at least slightly better dressed.

A stall door behind her burst open, making Gia jump. She hadn't even checked to see if any stalls were occupied. Abby stopped in her tracks, surprised that there was someone she didn't know just staring at her. Gia shook herself and looked away.

"Sorry, I hadn't realized someone else was in here. You just took me by surprise."

Abby looked up and down at her, taking her all in. She normally didn't judge people on first impressions, but she was having difficulty not doing so. Still, it didn't matter if this… _girl_ was scantily clad, she was clearly upset, and although the best job she did was her forensics work, her second best job she did was cheering people up. Besides, she seemed polite enough.

"Don't worry about it, no worries," Abby said, flashing her big smile. The girl smiled weakly back and nodded slightly. "I'm Abby, by the way," she said, holding out her hand after she had washed them.

"I'm Gia Conti," said the girl, shaking her hand. Realization dawned on Abby. This was the girl that was set to be murdered. She suddenly felt guilty for any negative thoughts she had about the girl and the way she was dressed and pitied her.

Both of them could feel the awkwardness growing between them. Gia cleared her throat. "So, Abby, are you another field agent here?"

Abby smiled genuinely. Nobody had ever mistaken her for an agent before. "Nah, I'm much cooler than that. I'm the forensic analyzer around here." Gia looked up at her with a shocked expression, and Abby was taken aback. "What?"

Gia just shook her said and smiled slightly. "Nothing really. You just have my dream job, that's all."

"You're into forensics?"

"Are you kidding? I live and breathe this stuff. I mean, I wasn't joking when I said you have my dream job. I've wanted to work at NCIS for a while now as a forensics analyzer. I'm not trying to take your job or anything!" Gia said quickly. "It's just that… my mom worked at NCIS, and I'm not cut out to work as an agent, but I've always been good at science, and… I'm rambling, aren't I?" Abby laughed and nodded, and Gia's face flushed. "Sorry, I tend to do that when I talk about forensics."

"Don't worry about it, I'm exactly the same way." Then Abby was struck with an idea. "Hey, do you wanna see my lab?"

Gia's face lit up like a little kid's on Christmas. "Really? I would absolutely love that! I mean, I've seen most of the equipment and been inside a few professional labs before… but that would be amazing! Yes!"

Abby's smile grew and held out her hand for Gia to take. "C'mon, let's go check out my babies!"


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! They mean a lot and I really appreciate them. Sorry for my long absence… just got back to college and things have been pretty hectic so I haven't had a chance to write that much. Also, sorry for the lack of authors notes at the beginning of each chapter. I keep forgetting about them when until I upload them, and by then I'm like, oh well. So here are extra thank you's that I never got to say! THANKS!!! _

_Disclaimer: Still don't own NCIS or any of the characters. My birthday's next month though, so here's to hoping! Gia is an original character though, so if you would like to borrow her, please ask._

_~*~_

_Abby's smile grew and held out her hand for Gia to take. "C'mon, let's go check out my babies!"_

"Abby, you're lab is absolutely amazing! I mean, I've seen most of this equipment before, even used some. But this set up you have here… it's amazing! And they let you play music? That's just awesome! I really freaked out my room mate when I was a freshman… I would play my music loud when I studied, and even if I had my headphones on, she'd still hear it," Gia said excitedly. "OK, sorry, I'm rambling again. But really, Abby, this is so cool."

Abby smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Most people don't appreciate the beauty and wonder of these machines."

Gia snorted and looked at Abby appreciatively. "Trust me, I could spend hours analyzing the machinery… forget what the machinery analyzes," The two of them shared a laugh, then Gia sighed. "Thanks so much for this, Abby. Being around… familiar things makes me feel better."

The forensic Goth looked at the young woman in front of her. She walked towards her and enveloped her into a big hug. Gia was surprised… she normally wasn't a touchy person and shied away from hugs or most forms of contact. But surprisingly, she felt comforted, even safe. Gia hoped that she would be around NCIS a lot more often… she could tell that, even if she was a little strange, Abby would be an awesome friend. And with that, Gia returned the hug.

Just then, Abby's phone rang, and she hurried away to answer it. "Abby," She said into the phone. "Mhmm… gotcha! Be right up! Bye, Gibbs." She shut her phone and turned to Gia. "I gotta go up to the bullpen and help Timmy with something, but you're welcome to stay down here and keep checking out the equipment if you want."

Gia smiled and nodded. "That would be great, thanks Abby. Don't worry, I won't touch anything."

~*~

Tony began to panic. After leading Gia to the bathroom, he proceeded to run and get himself coffee and her tea. He expected her to be waiting by the window when he returned, but she was not in the bull pen. He went back to the bathroom and waited outside for a few minutes, thinking that his trip to the break room went quicker than he realized. After waiting a bit, he knocked, but no answer. He pushed the door slightly open and called her name, but the lights were off. He walked back into the bullpen, hoping by some miracle she had appeared without him noticing, but no such luck. Both McGee and Ziva were sitting at their desks, working.

"You didn't see Gia walk through here, did you?" He asked them, already knowing the answer.

McGee looked up with a slightly dazed look on his face. Tony was familiar with this look… often, while working hard, McGee would forget where he was, and when he snapped back into the land of the living, he would need to realize where exactly he was. He shook his head. "Nope, sorry Tony."

Ziva looked up, slightly amused. "Did you lose your little girlfriend, Tony?" She asked, with a slight bitterness in her voice.

Tony glared at her. He did not need her harassment now. "She is not my girlfriend, David. And no, I did not lose her. I just… let her wander off on her own."

Just then, the elevator dinged and Tony groaned. He did not need Gibbs to know that he had no idea where Gia ran to. He turned to face his boss and attempt to explain what happened, but it was not Gibbs behind him, but Abby.

"Hey Tony, Ziva," She said, walking past them and joining McGee behind his desk. "Whatcha up to, Tim?"

Before McGee could get a word in, Tony ran up to her. "Abby, have you seen a young woman, dark brown, curly hair…"

"Are you talking about Gia?" Abby asked, looking up.

"Yes! You met her?"

"Yeah, in the bathroom. She seemed pretty upset so I took her down to my lab to cheer her up. She's still down there now."

Tony ran towards the elevator. "Thanks, Abs! I owe you one!"

"I'll add it to your tab, Tony," Abby called back.

Once Tony reached Abby's floor, he raced off the elevator and ran into her lab, which, of course with his luck, was empty. He silently cursed to himself, trying to think of where she could possibly be. He looked down the hallway, and saw that the door to the stairwell was slightly ajar. Convinced that she must be wandering around, he took the stairs down one level, where the gym area was.

He quietly opened the stairwell door and stepped out. He peered around the corner and saw a gym door open. All that was in there were some mats and a mirror; hardly anyone used that room. Quietly, he crept up to the door and looked in.

Gia was standing there, with her torso parallel to the ground and one leg straight up in the hair, forming a perfect split. She had put on an NCIS t-shirt and took off her skirt, leaving her spandex capris on. Her eyes were closed, and her hands were and her sides. Tony thought of clearing his throat, but that would probably only make her lose her concentration and cause her to fall.

Suddenly, in such a quick movement that Tony completely missed it, her leg snapped back down and she was in the air. Then she was turning, turning, turning… throwing her arms up in the air, kicking her legs high, more jumping… Tony was fascinated. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, she stopped. Her back was turned to Tony, and apparently, during her dance she had never even noticed him. Her shoulders began to shake, and a sob broke from her mouth, and she fell to the ground.

Tony ran towards her and wrapped his arms around her. Her arms found their way around his neck and she cried into his shoulder. He ran small circles on her back and her sobs quieted down. Finally, she pulled away from him, wiping her eyes and nose.

"I'm sorry," She said, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to break down like that… I didn't even know you were here." Her cheeks flushed a deeper red. "I normally don't lose it like that."

Tony gave her a small smile and rubbed her arm. They sat in silence for a while, then Tony said, "I didn't know you still danced."

Gia shrugged. "I didn't want to. Nonna all but forced me to continue. When I moved up to New York, all I wanted to do was study and learn. The only recreational thing I wanted to do was learn how to fight, in the off chance I would ever need to protect myself from something other than a gun. Yeah, I learned some karate," She laughed quietly to herself. "I came home from school one day and Nonna forced me out the door and drove me to a dance studio. I told her I didn't want to go, that I had better things to do with my time then do something as useless as dance. She turned and looked at me, and said that everyone needed a hobby they could escape to. So now, when I get stressed or angry or sad, I just dance. It sounds cheesy, I know. But it helps me get tension out. Normally I'm fine after I dance. I guess everything today has got my emotions on overload. I'm sorry about that."

Tony shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry about. We all need to release sometimes. If crying helped you, then think nothing of it."

Gia nodded, then looked at him. "What do you do for a release?"

_Drink…_ Tony thought bitterly. But she didn't need to hear that, she enough on her own plate to worry about him. "Different things. Watch movies, hang out with friends…" Gia nodded again and stood up. Tony followed her up.

"Do you mind if I give my friend a call? They're probably worried about me. Guest of honor didn't show up to her own party… that usually puts a damper on things." She asked.

"Yeah, go ahead. We don't want them filing a missing persons report or anything," Tony laughed quietly to his stupid joke. Being kidnapped by federal agents.

They took the elevator silently back up to the bullpen. They walked to Tony's desk and he handed her the small purse that he stashed in his drawer. She took her phone out and turned it on. Once it finally started up, she looked surprised at her phone.

"Thirty nine missed calls… eighteen new messages? What?" She exclaimed to no one in particular. She checked who they were from as Tony stood behind her to look over her shoulder. They were all from her close friends, mostly from her best friend Amanda. "Sheesh, that's a little extreme." She dialed Amanda's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hey Amanda… Yeah I'm fine, please don't worry… I can't tell you where I am right now, but please know that I'm safe. Nothing happened… I just needed to get away for a while. What? Amanda, Amanda please, slow down! What?" Gia looked alarmed into the phone while Tony stared at her. "Someone broke into my room?"


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Aah! I know, I'm HORRIBLE at updating… I'm sorry, really!!! College is hard… especially being a math/comp sci double major. Sheesh… Anyway, here's chapter 6! Thank you everyone for your lovely reviews! And to those who haven't reviewed, remember this is my only form of payment (literally, only form, as I'm currently unemployed as well) and even though they can't get me food or clothes, they do make me smile! So please, review away!**

**Disclaimer: My birthday passed, and still no NCIS. I did get the NCIS CD which I must say, is remarkably good. Gia is a creation from my own strange mind.**

~*~

_Gia looked alarmed into the phone while Tony stared at her. "Someone broke into my room?"_

"NYPD is sending over all the evidence. It should be here by morning," McGee stated as he hung up the phone. "From what they told me, the room was broken into at around 8:30 that night. The handle and lock were broken off, looks like with a sledge hammer or something like that, and then the door was kicked in. When they didn't find anyone in the room, they ransacked it. Dressers are knocked over, mirror cracked and broken on the floor, mattress upturned…" He trailed off, glancing at Gia. "Sorry, moving on. It doesn't appear anything major is missing. The jewelry box is still there, money is still in the sock drawer, et cetera. Of course, Gia will have to eventually search through everything and make sure everything is still present."

"They're not after my money or jewelry," Gia said quietly. She looked up at the rest of the team. Although there was evidence of tears running down her face, she looked surprisingly calm. "You know what they're after," She said pointedly.

"We just don't know why," Tony added.

"Yes we do!" Gibbs barked.

"But I don't know anything! All I ever knew was that my dad worked for the Navy! I didn't know the different levels of command or that he even was in command! I only found out that he was doing something official and secretive after I found him dead!" Gia yelled. Her breathing became rapid and she gasped for air. Tony ran to her side and put a hand on the small of her back and moved her hair away from her neck.

"Hey, kiddo, calm down. Gee, breathe…" Tony muttered quietly to her. After a few scary seconds, her breathing calmed down and she stopped gasping. She looked up, ashamed.

"I'm sorry. I normally don't overreact like that. I'm just… a bit…"

"Overwhelmed," Gibbs said simply. She looked at him and nodded sadly. "Gia, I meant what I said before. We're going to catch whoever is behind this. I promise."

Gia nodded again, then looked away. "Is there some place where I can lay down and nap for a bit? This whole day has been really tiring…" She trailed off, looking ashamed that she was asking for help.

Gibbs nodded. "Tony, take her back to your apartment. Keep an eye out for her. Anything suspicious, and I mean anything at all, you call me, straight away!"

Tony nodded. "Of course, Boss."

"Wait," Ziva said, finally speaking up. "Do you really think it is a good idea for Tony to be bringing her back to his apartment by himself? We do not know if they have figured out where she is yet."

"You're right. Go with them, spend the night and take shifts watching out. Thanks for volunteering, David," Gibbs said as Ziva's mouth fell open.

"No, Gibbs, I meant that she should probably spend the night here. NCIS Headquarters is constantly guarded… hardly anyone can get onto the base…"

"Ziva, go!" Gibbs barked again. Ziva remained standing, open mouthed and stunned. "Now!" Ziva sighed and turned to her desk and grabbed her things.

Normally, Tony would've jumped at the chance to poke fun at the fact that Ziva was spending the night at his place, even if she was being forced. But Tony was very somber tonight and just nodded silently without grinning when Gibbs looked up at him. The three of them walked away and headed for the elevator.

~*~

"Welcome to my humble abode, Gia," Tony said as they entered into his apartment. "I don't have a second bed, but either you can take my room or there's a pullout couch in the second bedroom, whichever you prefer."

"The couch will be fine," She said quietly. She glanced up at Ziva who was looking straight ahead, avoiding all possible contact with her.

"Right, I'll just get you some sheets and blankets," Tony said, and walked into the other room to set up her bed, leaving Ziva and Gia standing awkwardly together.

Gia broke the silence first. "So, I heard you're a Mossad agent."

Ziva nodded. "You heard right," She said sternly, still looking straight ahead.

"My grandfather was Mossad, too."

Ziva snapped her head towards Gia and stared. "But you are Italian." She stated.

Gia nodded. "Yeah, my dad was. My mom was Israeli. My grandmother fled from Israel in the early 1950's." Ziva continued to stare, so Gia continued to explain. "My grandfather was Mossad when he met my grandmother. They fell in love and got married after hardly a month of meeting. He told her to leave to America, and as soon as he was done with his last mission, he would find her there. A week after my grandmother arrived in America, she heard word my grandfather was killed during his mission. He never knew she was pregnant."

Ziva looked surprised. "I am sorry. Did you know your grandmother well?"

Gia shook her head. "Not at all. I never met her, actually. Once she found out that my mother was marrying a non – Israeli and non – Jew, she… sorta disowned my mother. She returned to Israel before they got married." Ziva nodded understandingly, but before she could say anything, Tony entered the room.

"Okay, so your bed is all made. I left out some old sweatpants and a t-shirt that are probably 10 sizes too big for you, but I figured now you'll have something to wear tomorrow. I left a new toothbrush out on the sink for you… uh, sorry the bathroom is a little messy. I really haven't had the chance to clean it in a while. Can I get you anything before you go to sleep?"

"No, I think I'll be fine." She looked up at Tony. "Thank you, a lot, Tony. I…" She cut off and looked down again. "Thank you to you, too, Ziva. Lilah Tov." And with that, she headed to bed.

Tony and Ziva stood awkwardly in his living room while Gia washed up and went to bed. Finally, after a few moments, Tony spoke up. "You can sleep for a while in my room. I'm not really that tired yet. I think I'll just flip through the channels for a while. I'll wake you up when I get tired."

"Why are you doing all of this, Tony?" Ziva asked. "Is she just another girl to you?"

He looked sharply at her. "She is just not another girl. She is the closest thing I've ever had to a family, and I was an ass and ruined it. This is a way for me to make it up to her. I want her back in my life, but she needs to forgive me first, and I will do anything to earn that forgiveness and her trust again." He spoke quietly but harshly. Ziva was taken back by his response.

"You always say that you had a horrible family. Why have you never mentioned her before? Why was your life so horrible, Tony?"

He held her gaze for a moment, then said "You know what, I am pretty tired. Wake me up when you get tired and we'll switch. There's beer in the fridge, you know where my movies are. Have fun."

And with that, Tony turned and walked down the hall, and slammed his door shut, leaving a confused and hurt Ziva behind.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**_** Aaaaand I'm finally deciding to update again. Again, I'm so sorry that this is taking me so long! Buuuut the semester is almost over, then doing nothing but working over the summer! Yay money? Anyway, I'll be much less stressed in a few weeks time, and that will make me very, very happy.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own nothing. That's a double negative which implies I own stuff. So yeah, I own NCIS. What now? Haha, I wish! Don't sue me, I actually don't own NCIS or anything of CBS's. Gia is mine though. Mwahahaha. OK, I'm going to upload this and stop typing out random nonsense. Enjoy! And review!**

_And with that, Tony turned and walked down the hall, and slammed his door shut, leaving a confused and hurt Ziva behind._

Tony moaned and glanced at his clocked again. The bright green numbers read 4:06, either much too late getting to sleep or way to early to wake up. He sighed and sat up. It had been about two hours since he left Ziva standing in his living room. Tony knew he had been harsh, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her about his life before college.

It had always been an unspoken rule between the two of them to not ask too many questions about each other's pasts. Sure, Tony would ask about her past boyfriends (if she had any), but he always meant it jokingly. He knew not too much about Ziva's life before coming to America, just that the bastard that killed Kate was her half-brother and her sister was killed years ago. Her father was the Deputy Director of Mossad and he had no clue about her mother.

He sighed again and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He threw on sweatpants over his boxers and opened his bedroom door. As he entered the living room, he saw that Ziva was watching _Beauty and the Beast_, the only Disney movie owned, and the only reason he had it was because Ziva forced him to get it when they would watch movies together. If they were going to watch movies together, she had told him, she would at least get to pick out a movie once in a while. And even though he hated it, even though the songs made him cringe, seeing Ziva's face light up over the tale of a princess being rescued by true love always brought a smile to his face.

He leaned against the wall and watched her from behind. He knew that she sensed him; her crazy ninja skills allowed her to hear and sense things that no normal human being could, but she remained facing forward, pretending to watch the movie. She raised a steaming cup of something to her mouth, then balanced it on her knee as she paused the movie. She turned her neck around and looked at him. He stared back, not really knowing what to say. She put the remote down and patted the seat next to her.

_At least she's not going to kill me,_ He thought to himself as he took his seat. She un-paused the movie, and they watched the last ten minutes together in silence. When the couple finally kissed and everyone lived happily ever after, she turned the T.V. off and put her mug down, and faced him.

"I am not that tired, Tony. You can go back to sleep for a while. I will wake you up when I go on my run."

"I'm not really tired, either," Tony muttered, staring at the blank screen. Ziva nodded and tucked her legs comfortably under her. They sat in silence for a few moments until she finally broke it.

"Tony, I want to apologize. I did not mean to pry before. You have your secrets just like every other person and I should respect you wanting to not talk about them."

Tony shook his head. "No, Ziva, you have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry for snapping," He said, still not looking at her, though he could feel her eyes on him. "I know you read all about my past before, but… it's just complicated. I never knew what it felt like to be wanted, appreciated, even loved really, until I came to NCIS. Gia was that one exception, but it wasn't enough for me. Her being here again… it just reminds me of what I left, and it's just bringing a lot of bad memories back."

"Tony, you do not have to explain. I understand. I know what it is like to not want to return home and to what was once familiar."

Tony looked to his side and caught Ziva's eyes. She gave him a slight smile, and smiled back. Maybe one day he'd ask her what she meant, what she didn't want to return to, but for now, their unspoken agreement held strong.

~*~

Tony and Ziva had stayed up a while longer chatting idly about movies, ways to torture McGee, and other miscellaneous things, until he finally convinced her to get some sleep at around five instead of going on her run. While Tony was in the kitchen making coffee and searching for food to make breakfast with, he let his mind wander over Ziva again. Right this moment, she was sleeping in his bed after spending the night together. He chuckled to himself… this had always been a fantasy of his. _Well, not necessarily in this situation_, he thought. He wondered what spending the night with Ziva would entail, and if he would even be able to survive. Perhaps one day he'd find out.

He sat down and flipped through the channels; trying to find something amusing at 5:30 in the morning was not an easy task. He finally settled on the news and stared at the screen, though he didn't pay attention to it. He was day dreaming when Gia snuck up behind him and plopped herself down next to him.

"Hey, kiddo," He said to her. She smiled in return. "How'd you sleep?"

"Alright, I guess. Not the best sleep ever, but I wasn't expecting it. Ziva sleeping?"

"Yeah, just went to bed a half hour ago. We'll be leaving in an hour or so to go back to NCIS."

Gia nodded. "Tony, I'm really sorry that you have to do this. Honestly, I just feel horrible…" She looked down, ashamed. Tony enveloped her into a hug.

"Shut it, kiddo. You know none of this is your fault. And, even though these circumstances really suck, I'm really glad I got to see you again." Gia smiled, and returned the hug.

~*~

Once they had returned to NCIS, they found McGee sitting at his computer working. Gibbs was out getting himself coffee, and when he returned, he had two cups in his hand. The three team members cringed; Gibbs only came back with two cups of coffee when they had a long and stressful day ahead of them, but as he walked by, he handed one of them to Gia.

"It's peppermint, the only flavor they had."

Gia smiled widely and accepted the tea. "My favorite. Thanks, sir."

Gibbs smiled back, a very wide, fatherly smile, one which didn't grace his face often. "Call me Gibbs."

The team worked in silence for a few hours, with it only being broken by someone directing a question towards Gia about her parents, her past, or anything that might be related to the case. Suddenly, Gia's phone went off. Everyone looked at her, waiting to see who was calling her.

"It's just my alarm, it's ok." She told them. While looking at her phone, she swore silently under her breath. Tony looked at her questioningly. "Tomorrow night, Columbia is holding a dinner in my honor. I won a grant for my research and it's they're way of congratulating me." She looked up at the team. "It's too late to cancel… I'm the guest of honor! What should we do?"

"Columbia will understand. We'll call them and let them know you're unavailable for an undetermined amount of time," Tony said.

"Perhaps we could use this time to lure out our bad guys," Ziva suggested. "Have many agents around protecting her, and should anyone be there, we will be there to arrest them."

"Absolutely not!" Tony said, glaring at Ziva. "Gia will not be used as bait! That's just absurd!"

"Tony, no," Gia said. "I'll do it. I don't want to be hiding forever, and I can't do anything stuck here. Ziva's right."

"Gibbs, you can't allow this to happen!" Tony yelled, turning to his boss. "You can't put Gia in danger like that!"

Gibbs sat at his desk, glancing between Gia's eager expression and Tony's look of shock and pain. He sighed and nodded at Gia. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

Tony groaned and shook his head, while Gia took a big breath and nodded. "I can," she said. "I have to."

**A/N Dos: So there should only be one more chapter, and perhaps an epilogue chapter too. It's almost over!!!**

**By the way, I am officially a Beta reader now. So if you're writing any stories and want a Beta, let me know! Trust me, I'm much better at giving time to Beta stories then writing my own. Most of the time it takes me so long is because I have evil writer's block.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:**_** THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! I repeat… THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! Only not really, because there's a tiny epilogue after this, but it shouldn't be too long. This is somewhat saddening… and relieving. This is actually my first multi-chaptered story that I've completed too, so it's a milestone for me! OK, enough with me rambling… read on and review!**

**Disclaimer: I've run out of witty things to say. NCIS isn't mind. Gia is. Period the end! :)**

_Tony groaned and shook his head, while Gia took a big breath and nodded. "I can," she said. "I have to."_

"Gia, you can still back out now. You really don't have to do this," Tony muttered while entering the hotel's banquet hall. Tony was dressed in a professional, black suit with a sage green tie to match Gia's dress. He was accompanying her as… well, a date, for lack of a better term. His assignment was to not leave her side for the entire night. Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, and a few other spare agents were located around the entrances and exits, or mingling with people, trying to look inconspicuous.

"Tony, shush. We're here now, and I'll be fine. I honestly don't see anything happening tonight."

He glanced around nervously, making brief eye contact with Ziva, who looked away quickly, before Tony could catch the glance of jealousy in her eyes.

"Gia!" Yelled a voice from behind. They turned and Tony stepped in front of Gia protectively. He could see both Ziva and Gibbs reach for their guns. But Gia smacked Tony out of the way.

"Hey, Amanda," She said, hugging the girl.

"Where have you been? Do you know how worried we were about you when you didn't show up to your party? You missed your _own_ party! Oh, sorry…" She said, looking at Tony. "I'm Amanda. Gia and I were roommates our freshmen year."

"Oh, yes. Um, Amanda, this is Tony. He's an old family friend." Gia introduced the two. Amanda muttered something under her breath, something about emphasizing the word "old." Tony tried his hardest to not role his eyes and returned her handshake.

"So, what's with all this extra security tonight? This guy nearly grabbed my bag right off my shoulder when I came in. Said he was supposed to check it. How rude?"

"Dunno, Mands. Oh, I see Professor MacDonald. I'm going to head over and thank him. I'll see you when we sit down to eat?" Gia asked.

"Yeah, sure, sure. See you," Amanda said, and walked away.

"You're friend?" Tony asked, his eyebrows raised as he turned to her. Gia smiled.

"Yeah, she's a little over-zealous sometimes, and partially crazy, but she's my best friend. If it weren't for her freshmen year, I probably wouldn't have any friends at college." Tony nodded, and they continued down to shake numerous amounts of people's hands, thank them for the wonderful evening, and make small, polite chit-chat.

~*~

The night continued on. The head of the Biology Department, who was also Gia's advisor, gave a great speech about her and gave her an award. While Gia walked on stage, Tony watched as the agents hovered closer, looking around, making sure there was no danger around. But Gia went on stage and gave a short thank you speech like there was nothing wrong tonight. Like there weren't a dozen NCIS agents around. Like no one was trying to kill her.

After dinner, Tony found himself in a discussion about basketball with one of the coaches, who was also an Assistant Chemistry professor. While in the midst of a conversation, Gia excused herself to use the restroom. Tony grabbed her arm and pulled her back down into the seat.

"We're gonna leave in half an hour. Can't you wait? I can't follow you into the ladies' room…"

Gia rolled her eyes. "I'll bring Amanda with me. Would that make you feel better?"

"Not really, but I suppose if you really just can't wait, then go ahead. I'll wait for you outside."

Gia smiled and leaned over to her other side, where Amanda was sitting, and whispered something in her ear. Amanda nodded, and the two headed off to the bathroom.

A few minutes passed, and then some more, until Tony realized it had been fifteen minutes since the girls went into the restroom. His stomach dropped; of course girls took forever, but never this long. He excused himself and attempted to keep a moderate pace as he walked towards the women's room. He knocked, "Gia? You in there?" He could hear muffled noises and the clapping of heels against the tile floor. He tried to pull open the door, but it was locked. Tony pulled harder and shook the door. "Gia!!!"

Gibbs and Ziva ran towards the bathroom and Tony. Gibbs pulled Tony out of the way while Ziva pulled out her equipment to pick the lock. But before Ziva could get the picklock in, a gunshot went off inside the restroom.

~*~ **15 minutes earlier** ~*~

"So, Gia… you never said you had an _older man_," Amanda asked, wiggling her eyebrows while Gia washed her hands.

Gia rolled her eyes. "He's not my older man. We used to be really close, he was like my older brother. We fell out of touch after he went to college."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Amanda said, digging through her large bag. Gia went to the paper towel dispenser and grabbed a piece when she noticed the door to the bathroom was locked. Confused, she reached to unlock it, when she heard the cocking of a gun. Wide-eyed, she turned around and saw Amanda aiming a gun at her head.

"Step away from the door, Gia."

Gia did what she was told, horrified that it was her best friend that was after her. "Amanda, what are you doing?"

"You know, I always felt bad for you. You're parents were murdered when you were still a kid, and you had no idea why. But you're such a liar." Amanda said, menacingly.

"What did I lie about?" Gia asked, trying to assess the situation. All she needed to do was distract Amanda for a minute, and then maybe…

"You're father! What, he wrote a program to screen for potential terrorists? Bull! His team, under his control, slaughtered immigrants trying to come here for a better life!"

"No! My father would never do that! I don't know what his program did, but I know he wouldn't kill people for the hell of it!" Gia yelled back. She looked around, trying to figure out if she could use anything as a weapon herself. But there was nothing.

"Oh, what another lie. As soon as you leave college, you're going to try to follow in Daddy's footsteps! It was all explained to me… you're findings on forensics and DNA, you're going to use all of that to hunt down immigrants and kill them yourself! You're obsessed with what you do, and I always wondered why, but now it all makes sense!"

Gia shook her head. Amanda wasn't making any sense at all… it was explained to her? But Gia had to keep distracting her, she had to keep talking and answering. "So what, now you're going to kill me?"

Amanda took a step closer. "If I have to kill one person to save thousands, I will. Anyone should!" With that, she took a step closer to Gia, still holding the gun at Gia's face. As soon as she came within reaching distance, Gia grabbed Amanda's wrist and threw her hand into the mirror. It shattered, cutting both girls arms, but seriously damaging Amanda's left hand.

Amanda screamed and dropped the gun. Gia went to go grab it, but was pushed out of the way and had her head slammed into the sink counter. Dizzy with stars in her eyes, she saw a bloody hand reaching for the gun, and kicked the gun away, just out of Amanda's reach. Grunting, she pushed herself up and grabbed Amanda's hair and shoved her down to the ground. Amanda's forehead in the tile, and when she rolled over, she had a large gash in her head. Gia grabbed the gun, and stood over her once friend, pointing it at her. She could hear pounding on the door and Tony's voice calling for her, but she couldn't let herself get distracted now.

"What are you going to do, Gia?" Amanda said, laughing slightly. She wiggled on the floor, unable to move that much because of her head. "Shoot me? Then go on to kill thousands of others?"

Gia's arms were shaking uncontrollably. Amanda saw this, and tried to take advantage of that. With her good arm, she reached up and tried to grab Gia's hand and the gun away, but Gia expected this to come. She fired a shot which pierced right through Amanda's right hand and into the ground. Amanda screamed in pain, then passed out.

The door burst open. Multiple voices screamed "NCIS!" and the four team members came in with their guns drawn. But once Tony saw Gia standing over Amanda's unconscious body, he rushed to her side and wrapped his arms around her, while taking the gun away from her.

Ziva rushed next to Amanda and checked for a pulse. "She is still alive. Call an ambulance." McGee excused himself from the room to call, while Ziva and Gibbs watched Tony hug a sobbing Gia.

~*~

Amanda woke up in the hospital a few hours later. She explained the whole story to NCIS agents, including her involvement with two terrorists who convinced her that it was really Gia and her family that were the terrorists. While the doctor told the agents she would make a full physical recovery from what had happened to her, the hospital's psychiatrist wanted to keep her under observation for a few weeks. "She isn't mentally healthy right now, there is something wrong with her," he had told McGee.

Gia sat next to Tony's desk while the team wrote up their reports. She had a few stitches in her arm, but she was released from the hospital within a few hours. As soon as the team was done, Tony was going to drive her back up to New York.

Gibbs gave her a fatherly hug goodbye, while McGee gave her a slightly awkward one. She received a stern nod of the head from Ziva when she smiled and said goodbye, and then quickly looking away.

The drive up to the city was a quiet one again, but this time, it was pretty comfortable. When they reached Gia's dorm building, she wrapped her arms tightly around Tony.

"Thank you," she said, her voice muffled by his shoulder. "I really missed you."

Tony smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I missed you too, kiddo."

"Email me, ok?" Gia said, pulling away from him. "Or call. Or even write. I have you back in my life now, and I do want you to stay there." Tony nodded. "Graduation's in a few weeks," She continued. "I'm valedictorian. I would mean a lot if you came up that day."

Tony smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Gia smiled back and said goodbye, and entered her room. Tony walked down the hall, still smiling. It seemed he was forgiven, and now he had a missing part of his family back in his life.


	9. Epilogue

Days went by since Tony came back into contact with Gia. Those days turned into weeks, until it had been almost two months. Tony had stood proudly on a warm May afternoon, as Gia made her valedictorian speech and accepted her diploma. She had run to him after tossing her graduation cap, tackling him into a fierce hug, which he gladly returned. He would never admit it, even though Gia had caught him, but there were even a few tears in his eyes when he congratulated her.

On a hot day in the middle of June, Gibbs entered Abby's lab, greeted by the blaring sound she called Android Lust. Placing a Caf-Pow! by her seated form, he gently nudged her to let her know of his presence. She jumped up and turned around.

"Hey Gibbs!" She said joyfully. "What can I do for you?

"Well, it's more of what I can do for you," he said, giving a small grin.

"Ooh, I like the sound of this. Did you get me a present?"

Gibbs laughed in a way only Abby could make him. "In sorts. Now before I tell you what it is, keep an open mind."

"Gibbs, you know me! I have the open-ist of minds ever! My mind is a wide open field, with nothing but daises and roses! Well, not really roses, because they have thorns, and if you stepped on those, they would hurt…"

"Abs," Gibbs interrupted. Abby's eyes went wide and feigned zipping her mouth, locking it, and throwing away the key. "OK, Abby. The director, and I for that matter, decided to give you an assistant."

"What? Gibbs, no! No more assistants! Do you remember the last 'assistant' I had? He tried to kill me! He tried to frame Tony! Gibbs, I don't want to have another psycho in here! And all the work I can do by myself! Have I not proved myself a hundred times over? A thousand times?" Abby yelled frantically.

Gibbs chuckled to himself. "Well, you're not getting a _real_ assistant really. More like, an intern. You would teach them everything they know."

"Oh, great. Some brainless little undergrad who can't tell the difference between oxygen and nitrogen."

He patted her shoulder. "Abby, it won't be that bad. She's here now, do you wanna meet her?"

Abby rolled her eyes and huffed. "Fine, I'll have to meet the punk eventually."

Gibbs laughed again and called, "Come on in!"

Abby turned around to see Gia walk through the door to the lab, grinning sheepishly.

"Hey Abby."


End file.
